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Tuesday, August 17, 2010
Help us find some good books!
My faithful readers (all 2 of you) I need your help.
Given that it is impossible to read all the good English language books in just 10 months, can you recommend some high interest and/or American classic books for a 17 year old exchange student?
He's 17, from Italy. "Interests" is a hard question. In his schooling there have been no electives, and not much time for outside interests. When we gave him the choice of elective classes he was unable to specify a choice. (He ended up taking P.E. and keeping an hour open for extra study) He is excellent at tennis. He's currently reading the Twilight series. I don't mind "junk" reading, since it will still help his fluency and speed.
I loved reading comic books when I was an exchange student. They were easy enough, and there was one Brazilian comic that gave me some small sense of the culture.
If you live near a good bookstore, let him pick his own.
Where do you live? If he were here in the Bay Area, Laurence Yep books would be good (many set in SF).
Dave at Night, by Gail Levine, is good, and the family might be Italian.
I read tons of young adult stuff. I'm sure I can think of more if prodded in the right direction.
Is the exchange student male or female? What interests do they have?
ReplyDeleteHe's 17, from Italy. "Interests" is a hard question. In his schooling there have been no electives, and not much time for outside interests. When we gave him the choice of elective classes he was unable to specify a choice. (He ended up taking P.E. and keeping an hour open for extra study) He is excellent at tennis. He's currently reading the Twilight series. I don't mind "junk" reading, since it will still help his fluency and speed.
ReplyDeleteI loved reading comic books when I was an exchange student. They were easy enough, and there was one Brazilian comic that gave me some small sense of the culture.
ReplyDeleteIf you live near a good bookstore, let him pick his own.
Where do you live? If he were here in the Bay Area, Laurence Yep books would be good (many set in SF).
Dave at Night, by Gail Levine, is good, and the family might be Italian.
I read tons of young adult stuff. I'm sure I can think of more if prodded in the right direction.
Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor.
Thanks Sue. Good ideas. He's already read the Calvin and Hobbes comics. I wonder if it'd be too subversive to give him Doonsbury and Bloom County. ;-)
ReplyDeleteNot at all... And I'd add Boondocks, which you may think is way too subversive.
ReplyDelete